We have a DViCO TViX HD M-6500A (
http://www.kjglobal.co.uk/acatalog/TVIX_M-6500A.html) which supports the following:
Formats / Containers: mkv, avi, wmv, mpg, iso, vob, ifo, mp4, asf, tp, trp, ts, m2ts, mov (H.264)
Video Codecs: MPEG 1/2/4, AVI, XVID, WMV9 (MP@HL), H.264 (BP@L3, MP@4.0 and HP@4.0), AVC (HD), VC-1 (MP@HL, AP@L3)
Resolutions: Up to 1920*1080P
Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, PCM, M4A, AC3, FLAC, WAV
We have a large DVD library (both region 1 NTSC and region 2 PAL) that we would like to get encoded and stored on our NAS. Given that we'll be playing back primarily through the TViX on a 40" 1080P HD TV, and secondly on large LCD TFT monitors through either Quickime or VLC on OS X, XP and Linux, our priorities are as follows:
- Compatibility with TViX HD M-6500A
- Compatibility with Quicktime & VLC on OS X, XP & Linux
- Quality
- File size (lesser importance)
- Encoding time (can take as long as is required - don't care much at all)
We started out with the AppleTV preset, and added the
level=40 option to the advanced settings to ensure compatibility with the TViX.
Additionally we reduced the video bit rate from 2500 kbps to 2000 kbps, and disabled the turbo second pass. (Does anybody actually know what the turbo second pass does,
other than simply speeding up the encoding process?)
After that I looked at the tool tips under the advanced tab, and enabled or tuned any options which looked like they might improve the video quality.
The following is a list of our settings. Any check box options that are not listed below can be assumed to have been unchecked and disabled.
OUTPUT SETTINGS:
> Format: MP4 File
> Codecs: AVC/H.264 Video / AAC + AC3 Audio
+ Insert iPod Atom (enabled)
VIDEO:
> Framerate (VFR On): Same as source
> Encoder: x264
> Quality: Average bitrate (kbps) 2000
+ 2-pass encoding (enabled)
PICTURE SETTINGS:
> Anamorphic: Strict
> Crop: Automatic
+ VFR (enabled)
> Deinterlate: Slower
> Denoise: None
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
> Bitrate (kbps): 160
> Sample rate (khz): 48
> Subtitles: None
CHAPTERS:
+ Create chapter markers (enabled)
ADVANCED:
> Reference Frames: 1
+ Mixed References (enabled)
> B-Frames: 3
> Direct Prediction: Spatial
+ Weighted B-Frames (enabled)
+ B-Frame Rate Distortion (enabled)
+ Bidirection Refinement (enabled)
> Motion Estimation Method: Uneven Multi-Hexagon
> Motion Estimation Range: 24
> Subpixel Motion Estimation: 7
> Analysis: All
> Deblocking: Default (0) Default (0)
> Trellis: 2
+ No Fast-P-Skip (enabled)
ADVANCED DETAIL:
bframes=3:ref=1:subq=7:me=umh:no-fast-pskip=1:trellis=2:cabac=0:level=40:analyse=all:mixed-refs=1:weightb=1:bime=1:brdo=1:merange=24:direct=spatial
Does anybody have any comments or suggestions regarding these settings? Is there anything else we could do to get even better quality out of our encodings? Are any of our settings pointless, unnecessary or a poor choice, and if so, why?
Additionally, is there any way to get the HandBrake GUI to give you the full command line to use for HandBrakeCLI rather than having to check each and every option yourself manually? I
think this is the right command line for the above settings, but it would be neat to get someone else to run their eyes over it as well:
HandBrakeCLI -i
*input* -o
*output.m4v* -e x264 -b 2000 -B 160 -R 48 -E aac+ac3 -f mp4 -4 -m -p -V --deinterlace slower --pixelratio --crop autocrop --markers --ipod-atom --longest --two-pass -x bframes=3:ref=1:subq=7:me=umh:no-fast-pskip=1:trellis=2:cabac=0:level=40:analyse=all:mixed-refs=1:weightb=1:bime=1:brdo=1:merange=24:direct=spatial